PlayStation Network to be Down for Maintenance on March 1 (Update: Postponed)

The PlayStation Network (PSN) will be down for several hours for scheduled maintenance on March 1, 2012, Sony has announced. The maintenance window, if all goes to plan, is expected to last from 8:00 AM till 10:00 PM PST. Hit the jump for more.

In a post on the official PlayStation blog, the company described the upcoming maintenance event as “significant.” However, it did not give any details as to the exact nature of the maintenance.

“Unlike typical maintenance events, consumers who are already signed-in to PSN will be signed-out, and consumers will be unable to sign in for the duration of the maintenance window,” reads the official announcement. “During this time, users won’t be able to access the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home, Account Management or play online.”

“PSN enabled websites will not be able to service users, including this one. Please stay tuned to the PlayStation Twitter feed for a notice when PSN is fully back online.”

Update: The maintenance period that was originally scheduled for March 1, 2012 has been postponed until further notice.